Death Chamber
by Raven Ki-Lin
Summary: A simple one shot following Confessions and Lamentations. Delenn kept her promise to John. Now he helps her survive her ordeal.


**Title:** DEATH CHAMBER  
**Characters/Pairings:** John/Delenn  
**Rating:** T  
**Warnings/Spoilers:** Adult themes  
**Summary:** A simple one shot following _Confessions and Lamentations_. Delenn kept her promise to John. Now he helps her survive her ordeal.

**Disclaimer:** Don't own anything, anyone or anyplace.

Lennier stood up and helped Delenn to her feet. On unsteady legs they walked towards the three officers. John, Susan and Steven stood with disbelief on their faces, staring around the chamber they had just unsealed.

"Lennier," Steven asked, "is there anyone? Anyone at all?"

Dazed, Lennier gathered himself. "No," he replied softly. "No one."

He kept moving toward the chamber opening. Susan moved to assist him. Still unable to accept the fact that all 2,000 Markab were dead, Steven moved deeper into the chamber to look for himself.

With eyes only for each other, John and Delenn moved closer to each other. John reached out and took hold of her elbows and Delenn, moving as if in shock, reached to touch his face. She had promised to call him by his Christian name the next time they met.

"John," she spoke as her fingertips grazed his cheeks. "John," she repeated as she surrendered to the terrors of her last few days locked in the chamber with 2,000 dying souls.

She leaned into his arms, sobbing. His grip tightened around her as he whispered softly to her.

Steven came back towards the couple. The grief across his face confirmed Lennier's earlier words.

"They're really all dead?" John questioned.

Steven nodded. "Let's get her out of here."

John turned toward the chamber opening only to have Delenn collapse in his arms. Without missing a beat, he swept her up into his arms. He was amazed how light and delicate she felt as he held her.

"She hasn't eaten for days," he commented to Steven.

The young doctor nodded as he walked beside them. "Probably not. That'd be consistent with Minbari practices."

Delenn's arms slipped around John's neck and she continued to sob against his neck.

"Sickbay?" John asked as they approached the main part of the station.

"Her quarters. She just needs rest and food," Steven answered. "She'll feel better with her own things around her."

The two men walked in silence to the ambassador's doorway. Delenn didn't raise her face from John's shoulder so Steven used his security protocol to override her locks. As they entered the reception chamber, Lennier and Susan, who had been sitting on the couch, rose to their feet.

"Sorry," Steven said, "I assumed you'd have gone to your own quarters."

"I came to see if Delenn required any assistance," Lennier replied, obviously upset to see Delenn being carried by John.

"I couldn't get him to go rest," Susan put in quickly.

"Well," Steven stated, "we'll take care of Delenn. If you'll just ask one of the acolytes to come and sit with her tonight. Then I want you to get some rest. That's an order," he added sternly as Lennier opened his mouth to protest.

"I was just going to say ... I would ... attend to it," Lennier said trying unsuccessfully to cover his intentions to argue.

"Okay, thank you." Steven allowed him the way out since he knew saving face was very important to the Minbari.

In the meantime, John had carried Delenn into her bedroom and laid her down on her bed. Her hands fluttered around his neck as he released her, as if she knew she should let go of him but was afraid to do so.

He caught both of her hands between his.

"It's all right," he soothed. "You're home now."

She stared at him with wide, terrified eyes.

"It was ... terrible," she whispered.

He squeezed her hands. "I'm sure it was. Do you want to talk about it?"

"No," she replied emphatically.

He nodded, holding her hands in one hand, using his other one to pat both of hers.

Steven entered the room. John released her hands and left the room. A few moments later, Steven followed him back into the reception area.

"She should eat something," Steven commented, half to himself.

"Like what?" John asked.

Steven looked at John as if surprised he had spoken out loud.

"Oh ... anything. Probably some soup or something light. But I don't think she'll do it."

"I'll stay here until the acolyte comes," John told him. "Maybe I can at least get her to drink some tea or something."

"Okay. I'm going to go check on Lennier. And I'm going to send a sedative over here, just in case she needs one."

Steven left. John was just finishing fixing tea and a piece of toast when the door chime sounded.

"Enter," he called out softly.

The door slid open and a young Minbari female came into the room.

"I was asked to come," she said haltingly.

"I know. Ambassador Delenn's lying down. I'm just going to take this," he motioned with the tray, "into her. Doctor Franklin wants you to sit here ... just in case she needs anything during the night. She's had a very upsetting experience. Do you understand?"

The young woman made the traditional Minbari salute.

"Understanding is not required ... only obedience. I will remain and tend to Delenn."

She reached out to take the tray from John.

"No, I'll take this to her before I leave."

John returned to the bedroom. Delenn lay on the bed with her right forearm over her eyes. She moved her arm enough to see John as he entered the room.

"I thought you had left." Her voice was weak and strained.

"I was just in the other room," he informed her as he sat down on the edge of the bed. "I want you to eat this."

"No, thank you."

"Yes, Steven said you need something to eat. Now, I'm not going to leave until you eat. And since there's a young acolyte sitting in your reception area, your reputation could be ruined if I stay here all night."

She smiled at him.

"That is blackmail," she told him lightly.

"Abso-fraggin'-lutely."

She sat up enough to eat. She ate a few bites of the toast and took a couple of sips of the tea then laid back.

"Another bite," he coaxed.

She shook her head. "Really, I can't."

He nodded, taking hold of one of her hands. "Okay. You get some rest."

She nodded and gave his hand a slight squeeze before letting go of it. He turned and started out of the room.

"Thank you, John," she said softly.

He turned back and smiled tenderly. "I'll see you tomorrow."

John closed the door as he left the bedroom. He turned to the young woman.

"I don't know what Lennier's told you, but Ambassador Delenn's been through a terrible ordeal. Doctor Franklin wants her to get plenty of rest. If she wakes up during the night, get her to eat a little bit if you can."

"It will be as you say," she responded.

"What's your name?"

"Maraline."

"If she has trouble sleeping ... if she wants to talk ... if she needs ... _anything _... call me at once. I'll leave my com unit set to pick up your call, Maraline."

Maraline bowed in answer.

John returned to his apartment and prepared for bed. He had only been asleep about three hours when he was awakened by the com unit giving the signal he had set for Maraline.

"Take call," he called as he rose from the bed to stand in front of the view screen.

Maraline stood looking at him. She glanced anxiously over her shoulder in the direction of Delenn's bedroom.

"I am sorry to bother you, Captain ... and last time I _was_ told not to but ..."

"What's wrong, Maraline?" John asked.

"The Ambassador is very restless," the girl replied hesitantly. "She's talking in her sleep. When she did this before she …"

She was interrupted by a scream coming from Delenn.

"This is the third time she's awakened in this manner. I don't know what to do!" the young woman cried out.

"I'm on my way!" John replied as he hurried to his bedroom to dress.

John impatiently rang the chimes to Delenn's apartment again. Maraline opened the door.

"How is she?" he demanded as soon as the door opened.

"She told me she was alright. She apologized for awakening me again and told me to leave." She glanced over to the bedroom door and then looked back at the Captain. "I don't believe she is asleep yet."

"Did Doctor Franklin send over some medication?"

"Yes. But I could not get the Ambassador to take it." She turned to a side table and picked up a small packet. "The person who delivered this said there were two tablets in here. She is to take both of them with a glass of water."

John nodded. He moved to the kitchen area and poured a glass of water.

"Can you stay the rest of the night?" he asked. "Can you sleep out here okay?"

"Sleep is not required. And, yes, I am prepared to spend the rest of the night here."

John gave her a brief nod and then moved to the door of the bedroom. He tapped briefly.

"I am fine, Maraline. Please leave me alone," came Delenn's voice through the frosted glass panel.

John cracked the door open slightly. "You didn't sound fine when I heard you scream."

"John!"

He entered the bedroom and closed the door behind himself.

"I was on the com unit, talking to Maraline when you screamed a few minutes ago," he explained as he came to stand beside the bed.

"Sit down," she invited moving a few inches away from the edge of the mattress.

He took hold of one of her hands. He stared at her face and tried to read her eyes in the soft light that filtered in through the frosted glass of the doors.

"Are you ready to talk about it?" he questioned gently.

Her hand tightened in a spasm in response.

"You need to let it out," he added.

"I ... can't."

"Okay, will you at least take the sedative Steven sent you, so you can get some sleep?"

"I don't like taking drugs," she told him. "Could you ..."

"What?" he asked when she broke off.

"Just sit ... and talk a while?"

"Sure, as long as you want."

They sat in silence, holding hands for a long moment.

"At first," Delenn started softly, "it was sad. As they became sick, the others would move away from them. Slowly, they began to realize that the illness was not a punishment ... and that they were all dying."

There was another long pause and then she continued, "There was a little girl who had lost her mother. Lennier found the mother while I tried to comfort the child. And then, while they were rejoicing in their reunion, the child began to show the early signs."

There was another long pause and then she told John another story of her days in the chamber. The pattern continued for almost an hour. John felt her hand, which had been gripping his tightly, relax as she talked. Suddenly her fingers again tightened around his.

"The last ... I don't know ... day ... two days ... time had lost meaning by then ... it was actually physically painful as the last ones died. It was almost as if ... as their souls departed ... it was like ..."

She broke off and sat up, looking directly into his eyes. He watched silently as her eyes filled and tears slid down her cheeks.

"It was as if they were each taking a piece of me. As if, in their anguish, they wanted to extinguish all other life. And then ... they were gone ... and the vacuum that was left was ... Oh, John! It was terrible ... terrible!"

She reached out toward him, blinded by her tears. He pulled her into the comfort of his arms.

"The agony of the emptiness!" she sobbed. "The pain of being there. The feeling of all those other beings ... gone!"

"Shhh," he crooned. "I know it must've been horrible for you. It's over now. There was nothing else you could've done. And I'm sure that you made their last moments much better than they would've been without you there."

She released a long, shaky sigh. "Do you think so?"

"Of course ... without you, they might've all died avoiding each other. You and Lennier demonstrated to them how to show each other compassion. You allowed them to die with dignity." He held her back so he could look into her eyes. "I've never known anyone to do anything braver. I'm very proud to know you."

He pulled her back into his arms and held her tenderly for a long time. Finally he reached for the glass of water and handed it to her. Then he handed her the tablets.

"Steven sent these over for you. I want you to take them."

"I told Maraline ..."

"Yeah, well, I'm not an acolyte. I'm a lot more use to having my orders followed than taking orders."

She smiled slightly. "So am I, Captain."

"Not tonight. Take your pills," he ordered gently.

She hesitated a moment and then swallowed the medication.

"Now lay down here," he said as she handed back the glass of water.

"No!" she cried out softly.

Realizing what she had done, she quickly lowered her eyes away from his.

"If it's okay," he said hesitantly, "I'd like to hold you a while longer."

She looked up at him and smiled. "I would like that ... very much."

She started to get out of the bed.

"Where are you going?" he questioned.

"To remove the tears from my cheeks."

She disappeared into the bathing area. John could hear her running and splashing water a few moments before she returned. Awkwardly they settled onto her bed, John bracing himself against the slant of the bed. Delenn nestled in his arms. Almost immediately she drifted off to sleep.

John was dozing when Delenn made a series of soft crying noises. He tightened his arms around her slightly and kissed the top of her head.

"You're safe ... it's over ... go back to sleep," he whispered.

Almost immediately she stopped moving and settled back down to a deeper sleep.

There was a soft tapping at the door and Maraline opened it. She gave a soft gasp of surprise as she saw John holding a sleeping Delenn and quickly lowered her eyes.

"I did not mean to interrupt," she stammered.

"She's sleeping," John replied quietly so he would not disturb Delenn. "She finally talked a little about what happened ... she's still very upset."

Maraline raised her eyes and smiled slight at John.

"She is resting better with you here."

"That's why I thought I'd stay ... if that doesn't bother you," he said.

Maraline shook her head. "Whatever Ambassador Delenn needs. I can see she trusts you." She paused a moment and then added, "I will withdraw. Please call if you need anything."

John had dozed uneasily through what had remained of the night. Finally, feeling that it must be close to morning, he gently disengaged himself from Delenn. Quietly, so he wouldn't awaken her, he went into the reception area. He was surprised to find Lennier instead of Maraline waiting.

"Lennier? I thought you'd still be resting," John stated.

"It is my duty to attend to Delenn," Lennier answered softly.

"Of course. But she was awake almost all night. I'm sure she'd understand if you wanted ..." John let the sentence hang.

"I am sure she would ... but I would not."

John nodded, unsure how to respond. "OK ... well, I was finally able to get her to take a sedative but it was ... oh ... really late. I imagine she'll sleep a few more hours before she wakes up."

Lennier nodded. "I will have food prepared for her when she awakens. Thank you for your assistance, Captain."

Although he disliked the obvious dismissal in Lennier's tone, John also knew that he had no right to argue.

"OK, but if she wants anything when she wakes up, call me," John told Lennier as he headed out the door.

Slowly he returned to his quarters and changed into a clean uniform. After a quick breakfast, he went to his office. He had been there about an hour when he realized that he had just read the last data pad three times and still did not know what it said.

"This is stupid," he said to himself, laying the pad on his desk.

He paced the office for a moment. Making a decision he turned sharply and left. He headed quickly to the Ambassadorial area. He paused briefly outside of Delenn's quarters before ringing the bell.

It took a moment for Lennier to answer his ring.

"Captain," the young Minbari greeted him, properly but without any sense of welcome.

"I'd like to see Delenn," John stated.

"I'm sorry but she is still resting."

"Has she been awake at all?"

"Actually, she is awake now. But she's still resting in her sleeping chamber."

"Has she eaten anything?"

"I prepared something but she …"

John moved past Lennier. "Get the food ready. I'll take it into her."

"Captain! Please. I really don't think …"

John turned to face Lennier. "Listen … I understand how you must feel. But right now, she isn't capable of being the Ambassador. Right now, she needs someone to lean on. I can let her do that without her having any loss of face. You can't."

Lennier knew there wasn't any way he could argue with that statement. With a slight bow of his head, he moved to the kitchen area. He placed some food with a cup on a small tray and held it out toward John. John gave a slight nod of his head in acknowledgement as he took it.

Lennier led the way to the doors of Delenn's sleeping chamber. He tapped on the doors.

"Please, just leave me alone, Lennier," Delenn's voice sounded wearily.

"It's not Lennier," John spoke to her through the frosted glass panels. "I'm coming in."

He nodded to Lennier for him to open the doors. John entered the room. Delenn was sitting up on her bed. It was obvious she had been crying again. He sat the tray on the bedside stand and moved to the edge of the bed. He gently reached out to brush the tears from her cheeks.

"You're still weak," he chastised her gently. "I want you to eat something. Lennier went to the effort of fixing this instead of resting like he should be doing. The least you can do is eat it."

She smiled at him and nodded her head slowly.

"Ask Lennier to come in, please," she requested.

John sat the tray across her lap. He opened the door and motioned for Lennier. Lennier came in bowing his head toward Delenn.

"Lennier, I am grateful for the food and your service. But you went through the same ordeal. I wish you to take the next two days and heal yourself."

"But your needs …" he protested.

"Send Maraline back. If you will be good enough to cancel all of my appointments for the next two days. We will both rest."

"As you wish," he agreed with a bow of his head. He acknowledged John and then withdrew, closing the doors as he left.

John gave her a big smile. "Now eat," he instructed.

With a meek expression, she complied.

John stood watching her. He found himself drawn to the strange blend of human and Minbari features. And he felt inexplicably protective of this woman.

Feeling his eye on her, she looked up and smiled softly.

Their eyes locked and they stared at each other for a long moment before she lowered her face to continue eating. In the silence that surrounded them, they both felt a peace and contentment that was strange to them. Feeling that Delenn might be an important part in his future, John grinned suddenly.

"Are you thinking of something pleasant?" she asked.

His grin widened.

"Abso-fraggin'-lutely."

The End


End file.
